Traditionally libraries have been a valued collection point for the storage and access of
information. However, the modern library has been transformed into a hub of higher learning
through the transfer of information and ideas as well as becoming a center for social
networking.
WKU Libraries is no different. Having served the Hill for over a hundred years, WKU
Libraries started off as a small reading room in Recitation Hall, which has now expanded to
encompass multiple facilities on campus, several sites beyond the main campus, extended
campus library services, and even a website and virtual library.
The most common way to enter the library is through the café in the Helm Building where
you’ll be able to meet with a study group and get a quick snack, get something to drink or
even access the wireless internet that is offered in most areas.
Entering the Reference Room from the café, students and faculty will encounter resources
that will be vital in conducting their research projects and assignments. We also provide a
service which lets you set up an appointment for a one-on-one consultation with one of our
librarians. Each librarian has an area of specialties that coincide with an academic area of
studies provided by WKU. The service is priceless when working on academic-specific
assignments while utilizing the Libraries to its full potential.
The Reference Area houses a large collection of general and special encyclopedias, maps,
dictionaries and indexes for every discipline’s needs. The periodicals are located on the
second floor. Indexes to articles in periodicals are here and online.
When materials are needed that are not part of the WKU Libraries' collection, they can be
accessed using interlibrary loan. This service borrows books and articles from other libraries
for faculty, staff and all students using advanced computer software.
The basement in Helm houses the Government Document section which includes statistics
and reports from Congress, the President, and federal agencies as well as documents from
Kentucky and local agencies. Next to the document section is the Law Collection, containing
court opinions from federal and state courts. This area also has Kentucky laws and
regulations in addition to U.S. laws and regulations. Continuing on from the Law Collection,
you’ll find an electronic shelving area, which contains older magazines and journals. These
shelves can be easily moved with just a touch of a button.
Moving on to the second floor of Helm, you’ll find more recent periodicals including
magazines, newspapers, and journals as well as microforms. Adjacent to Periodicals, faculty,
staff and students are welcome to use a computer lab with over a hundred workstations. In
addition, adaptive technology including a document scanner, voice synthesizer, and closedcircuit television magnifier are all provided along with special assistance.
The Helm Library is connected to the Cravens Building on two levels by a walkway from the
first floor of Helm to the fourth floor of Cravens. The walkway on the second floor of Helm
leads to the fifth floor of Cravens. Library users may browse, study, or check out books
found on Floors 5 through 9. The books are shelved by Library of Congress Call Numbers
starting with an A on the fifth floor. We’ve even provided computers on every floor that can
help you in your search.
Once you have located resources appropriate to your research, remember to check them out at
the Circulation Desk on the fourth floor of Cravens. This area is not just for borrowing
materials, however. The Circulation Desk provides many other services. You can borrow
laptop computers for in-house use or check out an Audio Tour of the Libraries. We also
provide document delivery, which is available to faculty and staff.
Next to the Circulation Desk is an area for browsing newly acquired materials. Across the
Circulation Desk are leisure books and audios which include some of the latest best sellers.
For additional circulation services, you can visit the Visual & Performing Arts Library, or
VPAL, on the second floor of Cravens as well as the Educational Resources Center at the
bottom of the Hill.
Moving to the third floor we find the nerve center of the library where the Department of
Library Technical Services acquires, organizes, and catalogs all collections to enhance and
support library services.
Down to the second floor of Cravens is the Visual & Performing Arts Library, VPAL. It
houses collections in art, music, theater, dance, historic costume, fashion, photography and
others. It provides the state-of-the-art listening and viewing equipment. The second floor
also houses our reserve collection. Some of which can be accessed remotely.
Access to the collection is available through TOPCAT, the Libraries’ online catalog, and
TDNet, which can be used to find full-text e-journals. The Libraries also subscribe to more
than 200 scholarly databases, many of which provide access to full-text articles.
The Educational Resources Center at the bottom of the Hill contains a collection of
educational methodology books, textbooks for Grades K through 12, curriculum guides,
multimedia materials, and Juvenal books.
The Kentucky Building houses the Kentucky Library and the Kentucky Museum. The library
includes non-circulating collections of books, manuscripts, and archives. The museum
exhibits materials related to Kentucky life and history.
To aid students enroll in distance education courses at the extended campuses, students
outside Bowling Green may request books and copies of journal articles through Extended
Campus Library Services.
There’s so much more you can discover here at WKU Libraies, and in the end it’s up to you
to use them to their full potential. But at any time if you have a question, no matter what it’s
about, always know that we’re here over a 107 hours a week. For the time we are closed, you
may check out our award-winning website at www.wku.edu/library. And above all, ask us.
We’re here to help!
Funding for this video courtesy of PIE Grant L-08-008 and the Dean of University of
Libraries.